THE DEJARGONIZER
"C" - Insurance offered to any applicant regardless of health
Guaranteed issue might sound like a problem waiting to happen. But when you’re talking about insurance, it can be a good thing. (There may be tradeoffs involved though.)
Guaranteed issue refers to health and life insurance policies that are offered to all applicants regardless of their health.
Life insurance:
- Guaranteed issue policies are often a good option for elderly applicants and people with health issues that prevent them from getting a conventional policy.
- They usually charge higher premiums and provide lower payouts. Many top out at $10,000 compared to conventional policies that might pay $1 million or more.
- Most of these policies won’t pay out if the insured dies within the first 1-2 years. (In these cases, the premiums they’ve paid will be refunded.)
Health insurance:
- All comprehensive health insurance policies have been guaranteed issue since 2014.
- Prior to 2014, most insurers had lists of up to 400 health conditions that could trigger a denial.
- Since 2014, the Affordable Care Act has required that you can’t be denied for having pre-existing health conditions and you don’t even have to give out your health history to apply. It also doesn’t matter whether you currently have insurance or not.
- Short term medical plans are not guaranteed issue and may not cover pre-existing conditions.
Mylo's friendly licensed agents are pros at finding the best coverage for you. Contact us for a custom consultation or start your quote online.